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I've been playing in a 3rd edition campaign for quite a long time and the DM has recently decided that they would like to continue in 5th edition. My character in this campaign is a gloaming which is a race I've only seen mentioned once in an underdark guidebook for 3rd edition. I've developed my character's backstory quite a bit since the campaign started and it would crush me to start a new character. Changing the race of my character would also go against his backstory. Is there any way I could move the gloaming race over to 5th edition and keep it a balanced character?

I'm trying to keep the gloaming's size, the wings, and their main origin (small realm travelers that fly and glow in the dark.) I want to keep him as this goofy little guide that has small darker aspects.

Are there any guides that provide the information required that could help me move my character over to 5th edition?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Possible duplicate: Is there a way to change 3e stats into 5e stats? \$\endgroup\$ Jan 16 at 15:30
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    \$\begingroup\$ Experts in both 3.5e and 5e should be able to help here, but if you can tell us more about what you want to 'keep' in the race, more experts in 5e may be able to find something that matches. Any details about specifically what you want/need/like would help greatly! \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Jan 16 at 15:46
  • \$\begingroup\$ Do you mean gloamings? Either way, you would need to homebrew a race (or have someone do it for you, based on the exisitng races for balance), as there is neither a gloaming nor a gloamling race in 5e. The experts here can help you regading evaluation of the race with feedback on balance, tone, fit to 5e mechanics etc -- we do this quite often. I'm not sure if "homebrew a race with these features" would be a valid request around here, it would probably be considered opinion based. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 16 at 17:47

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Base it off of an existing 5e race

Since the race does not exist in 5e, you will need to homebrew it. In general, the best place to start creating a "new" race in 5e is to base it off of an existing race. The Dungeon Master's Guide has some rules and guidelines for doing this around page 285, "Creating New Character Options - Creating a Race or Subrace". Specifically, it says

When creating a race from scratch, begin with the story and proceed from there. Compare your creation to other races of your world, and borrow freely from the traits of other races.

It also gives an example of how they changed Tieflings into Aasimar using the guidelines.

For your purpose, I would suggest basing it off of the Fairy race, limiting the "Fey Characteristics" section to having wings (instead of bird-like, make it furry wings). Maintain the flight aspect, have them speak Common and Undercommon, change the lifespan to be 200-300 years, etc.

The hardest part would be changing the spells Fairies innately know. According to the Forgotten Realms Wiki, Gloamings were good with shadow-based spells. In general, you should replace spells with spells of similar level that do similar things (i.e. if it does damage, the new one should also do damage, etc.), or you can opt to keep the same spells.

Here is an example stat block I would possibly recommend:

Gloaming

  • Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score by 2, and increase a different one by 1, or increase three different scores by 1.
  • Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Undercommon.
  • Creature Type. You are a Fey.
  • Life Span. Gloaming have a life span of 200-300 years.
  • Size. You are Small.
  • Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
  • Gloaming's Shadow Magic. You know the Prestidigitation cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the Cause Fear spell with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can also cast the Blindness/Deafness spell with this trait. Once you cast Cause Fear or Blindness/Deafness with this trait, you can't cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).
  • Flight. Because of your wings, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed. You can't use this flying speed if you're wearing medium or heavy armor.

Using Detect Balance (a google docs spreadsheet commonly used to help with homebrew balance), this is certainly still on the strong side (although so is the Fairy). You can add some things like light sensitivity if it would help with balance in your game. At the end of the day, though, whatever stat block you or your GM come up with will require some playtesting to really figure out if it is properly balanced and - most importantly - fun.

Disclaimer: I am only knowledgeable in 5e, not 3e. The information presented here is a combination of my 5e knowledge and what I found in the Forgotten Realms Wiki. This stat block is not tested for balance, and is not meant to treat, diagnose, or prevent any illness.

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    \$\begingroup\$ I was thinking of an answer like this and you did a solid job. I'm not sure we should suggest complete ideas, though - that gets us squarely in "homebrew this for me" territory and competing answers of opinion-based ideas. \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Jan 16 at 18:21
  • \$\begingroup\$ You can also add in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything and customizing your origin. \$\endgroup\$
    – NotArch
    Jan 16 at 18:22
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    \$\begingroup\$ @NautArch I was thinking about that while I was writing the stat block, but I felt as though since it was just a quick stat block based on my Fairy suggestion, it's not adding too much to the answer that wasn't already there. Just made it concise. As for the Tasha's custom origin, I see that more like a subrace creator rather than a complete race overhaul - but then again, it's basically all I did here with a different name, so it could certainly help. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 16 at 18:27
  • \$\begingroup\$ I can certainly take away the statblock and suggestions for how to go about it if it would benefit the answer, though. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 16 at 18:29
  • \$\begingroup\$ I was thinking of it too, but refrained for the reasons NautArch outlines; I think this is clean and well done though. One thing I thought about is that the gloamings skin is glowing, so if you think this is too strong, maybe give them a natural glow shedding dim light in a 10 foot radius, and give them the darkvision they have in the original, instead of the spellcasting. Although maybe a cantrip can ape the glow part. \$\endgroup\$ Jan 16 at 19:27

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